To assess the clinical applicability of a novel automated tractography tool named XTRACT during acute stroke rehabilitation. [Participants and Methods] Three patients with left hemisphere stroke were sampled. Diffusion tensor images were acquired on the second week, and automated tractography was then applied. Tractography images and fractional anisotropy (FA) values in the corticospinal tract (CST) and arcuate fasciculus (AF) were assessed in relation to hemiparesis and aphasia. [Results] Patient 1 was nearly asymptomatic; FA in the left CST was 0.610 and that in the AF was 0.509. Patient 2 had severe hemiparesis and mild motor aphasia. Tractography images of the CST and AF were blurred; FA in the left CST was 0.295 and that in the AF was 0.304. Patient 3 showed no hemiparesis or aphasia at initial assessment. Tractography image of the CST was intact but that of the AF was less clear; FA in the left CST was 0.586 and that in the AF was 0.338. Considering the less clear images of the AF and lower FA value in Patients 2 and 3, further examinations for aphasia were performed, which revealed agraphia. [Conclusion] Visualization and quantification of neural fibers using automated tractography promoted planning acute care rehabilitative treatment in patients with stroke.
A pyroelectric infrared sensor using a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) thin film has been integrated with a read-out circuit on a silicon substrate. The PVDF thin film with a thickness of 1-2 µm was deposited on the sensing area by an electro-spray (ESP) method. A form I crystal and a large pyroelectric coefficient of 4 nCcm−2K−1 were observed just after the deposition without any poling treatments. The fabrication process of the sensor was based on a standard MOS LSI process and a polysilicon sacrificial layer etching technique. In order to reduce the heat capacitance and the thermal conduction, the PVDF thin film was supported on a thin Si3N4 membrane structure formed by etching a part of the silicon substrate under the sensing area. The sensor with a sensing area of 400x400 µm2 had a responsivity of 98 V/W, a detectivity of l.4× 107 cmHz1/2W−1, an NEP of 2.9× 10−99 Hz1/2W at a frequency of 100 Hz and a time constant of 1.3 msec.
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